jan 1, 1754 - French and Indian War Begins

Description:

Called the Seven Years’ War in Europe, this was a conflict over the Ohio River between Britain and France that was officially declared in 1756. In reality, the struggle began several years earlier when France first began to encroach upon the desired Ohio River Valley, causing a series of skirmishes precedent to the actual war. This was because the French, desiring the valley, set up many forts in the area, leading the colonists to mount attacks upon them. After a failed attempt by Washington to eradicate the French presence, the British Prime Minister Pelham-Holles attempted a secret counterstrike, but his plans were publicized and thus the war actually commenced. Thought initially the British were disadvantaged, in 1757 William Pitt used loans to pay Prussia and the colonists to raise troops against the French in Europe and America respectively. By July 1758, the British began to win battles, and by 1760 the colonists had brought down Montreal and thus destroyed the British presence in America. In Europe, the war expanded to involve Spain. This was significant because it increased tensions between colonials and the British because of the negative way the British officers treated the colonists.